Tillerson's Ultimatum for Russia on Syria: It's Us or Them

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is in Russia Tuesday following international talks over the crisis in Syria, delivering tough words to the Kremlin: It's either the Assad regime or the U.S and its allies.    

The chemical attack there in Syria, followed by U.S. airstrikes and Russian involvement in Syria's civil war, made for a somber meeting.

It's unclear, Tillerson noted, whether Moscow had failed to take seriously its responsibility to purge Syria of chemical weapons or was just incompetent.

Either way, it "doesn't much matter to the dead," he said.
    
He says Russia must choose between aligning itself with the U.S. and like-minded countries or embracing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Iran and the Islamic radical group Hezbollah.

"We cannot let this happen again," the secretary of state warned.

"We want to relieve the suffering of the Syrian people. Russia can be a part of that future and play an important role," Tillerson added, "or Russia can maintain its alliance with this group, which we believe is not going to serve Russia's interests longer term."
    
Tillerson will meet with Russia's foreign minister and possibly Russian President Vladimir Putin this week to address the crisis.